Organisers of 16th Sheffield Doc/Fest’s flagship MeetMarket industry event have put out the call for new documentary features and series projects. Running in parallel with the Arts Talent Market (formerly Alternate Realities Talent Market) for XR/new-media artists, the event is planned to be hybrid to allow for in-person engagement as well as online.
The deadline for MeetMarket submissions is set for 15 February 2021. The deadline for Arts Talent Market is 1 March 2021.
“We are holding space and discussing with our partners at Sheffield City Council a range of options for our annual industry gathering that of course puts the safety of everyone, locals and guests, as number one priority,” says Patrick Hurley, Director of Marketplace & Talent. “We’ll announce physical activities in the new year, but in the meantime as we launch our call for projects we want to make clear that the option to participate virtually for selected teams and industry representatives is assured.”
“We are hopeful about welcoming guests to Sheffield in the summer while knowing for certain from our experience this year that we can continue making great connections happen regardless of any general or region-specific travel restrictions that may be in place,” he adds.
In 2020, Sheffield Doc/Fest’s Industry Programme brought together more than 150 directors and producers and 250+ industry personnel for more than 1,400 match-made one-to-one meetings and round-table sessions.
“Our vision for Doc/Fest’s Industry Programme involves creating a space where emerging talent can present their projects shoulder-to-shoulder with many of the most experienced and accomplished teams making documentaries today,” Hurley continues.
In 2020, twenty of the 48 MeetMarket projects (42%) had a first-time filmmaker attached to direct, while 21 (44%) were new works from emerging directors (1-3 films completed). Nine out of the twenty teams who pitched new-media/XR projects were emerging artists.
Over the years, the numerous projects that have come through MeetMarket while in development/production include the likes of Searching for Sugarman (Malik Bendjelloul), The Edge of Democracy (Petra Costa), Stray (Elizabeth Lo), Mayor (David Osit), Shooting the Mafia (Kim Longinotto) and The Story of Film (Mark Cousins).
The Arts Talent Market, supported by Arts Council England, presents artists and collectives working at the forefront of contemporary practice in new-media and digital art. Selected artists, collectives and creative teams will be connected with industry representatives including curators, funding bodies, NGOs, international festivals, galleries, media and educational institutions, production companies, tech companies, broadcasters and distribution platforms.
Hurley further points out that 100% of market participants surveyed in 2020 said they would recommend Sheffield’s marketplace to other filmmakers/creatives/industry representatives, and 98% of the pitching teams surveyed in 2020 said the markets gave them the chance to meet industry representatives who they wouldn’t normally have access to.
“The pandemic brought into sharp focus what a festival and a market is, and where our functions really lie,” Hurley told Business Doc Europe.
“The things that people said in their feedback on our 2020 edition was that they really appreciated and were excited by the slate of projects, and that we invest a great deal of time and energy and consideration into the selection,” he continued. “We also received a lot of appreciation for our co-ordination role, bringing people together in a very concentrated period that is incredibly efficient, something we are able to do regardless of whatever format [the market] takes.”
“Aside from online interactions not being not as warm as in-person ones, there are now definite benefits in terms of access,” he stressed of the hybrid market model. “It has forced us to really think deeply about aligning goals for access and inclusivity against the practicalities of travel, and that will continue to be thought about into the future. When travel restrictions go away, this will still be something we think about.”
In 2019, Doc/Fest welcomed over 28,000 general public admissions and 3,489 individual industry delegates from 59 countries to Sheffield.
